Planning to visit your Emory Eagle and unsure what to do or where to go?
Review this list for suggestions, many of which are available at no charge.
Homecoming and Family Weekend October 23-26th- Register and plan now for accommodations. Registration is open to all alumni, parents/families, faculty, staff, and friends of Emory. Students can sign up now for Homecoming activities in The Hub.
Events | Emory University | Atlanta GA - Parents and Families
Activities Available All Year
Centennial Park District - Downtown Atlanta
Georgia Aquarium - One of the biggest in the world!
Tickets | Events
College Football Hall of Fame
Info | Tickets
World of Coca-Cola
Info | Tickets
Centennial Olympic Park – Free
Info
Centennial Park Ferris Wheel – air-conditioned cars – night views
Sky View Atlanta
National Center for Civil and Human Rights – This powerful and educational museum, home to Dr. Martin Luther King’s archives reopens November 2025
Info
Sweet Auburn Avenue Neighborhood
Martin Luther King Jr. National Historical Park | Guided Tour Information
Birth Home of Martin Luther King Jr. home tours reopen 2026
Ebenezer Baptist Church is the Baptist church in Atlanta where Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was pastor from 1960 until his assassination in 1968. Its historic church building and expanded sanctuary are in the historic area designated as the Martin Luther King Jr. National Historical Park.
Ebenezer Baptist Church - Atlanta
Jackson Street Bridge - stunning Atlanta sky-line view and backdrop for selfies and prom photos. Bridge was the location of the dramatic opening city skyline scene in the Walking Dead TV series.
Info | Address: 170 Jackson Street NE Atlanta, GA 30312
Fourth Ward and Grant Park
Atlanta Beltline – Urban Oasis Walkway – Park lined with festive activities, restaurants, the Illuminarium Atlanta, public art and art vendors.
Atlanta Beltline Info
Foodhall and eclectic shopping inside the revitalized Sears building with Rooftop Entertainment center on top adjacent to the Atlanta Beltline
Ponce City Market
Illuminarium Atlanta is an Immersive Entertainment Venue located on the Beltline, near Ponce City Market. Shows rotate.
Zoo Atlanta – Grant Park Atlanta Neighborhood
Tickets | Events
Walk Atlanta’s most historic cemetery to see beautiful gardens, and architecture. Tours offered or explore on your own. Many of the 70,000 graves bear names shared with familiar Atlanta-area parks, streets, neighborhoods and businesses.
Oakland Cemetery - Atlanta
Near Emory University – Druid Hills, Avondale Estates and Decatur
Jimmy Carter Presidential Library - The Library and Museum are surrounded by 35 acres of ponds, local wildlife and rolling grounds.
Info | Tickets
Free: Visit an Art Antiquities and Archeology Museum home of a few Egyptian mummies.
Micheal C Carlos Museum at Emory University | Info
David J. Sencer CDC Museum at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention headquarters has exhibits on infectious disease, the organization’s history and ongoing work and worldwide pandemics.
Info (temporarily closed)
Free: Monday night attend Joe’s Jam Session at Napolean’s Grill. Community members from all over Atlanta bring their instruments and voices to entertain. Live Jazz and big band type music. No cover, free parking, food/drink menu and top-notch live music! Musicians of all ages join. Bring your instrument.
Joe Gransden – Official Site | Napoleon's - Decatur, GA
Fernbank Museum of Natural History Museum has acres of surrounding forest, nighttime lighting for forest walks, science and nature exhibits, and Atlanta’s largest 3D theater.
Fernbank Museum: World of Wow | Visit Fernbank Museum
Stroll and browse the shops around downtown Decatur Square. Be sure to stop by Atlanta’s hometown, small batch Ice Cream shop.
Butter and Cream
Drive by Atlanta’s own White House replica on your way to David’s Produce Market to sample boiled peanuts and shop fresh produce, praline pecans, cheese straws, jellies, hot sauces.
Midtown Atlanta
Atlanta Monetary Museum Free weekday museum. Interactive exhibits about the economy, personal finance and even robotic vehicles to move cash through vaults bring to life the Federal Reserve Bank’s work.
Woodruff Arts Center is Atlanta’s Arts campus home to the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, the Alliance Theater and the High Museum of Art.
- High Museum of Art: Tickets | Current Exhibitions
- Woodruff Arts Center: General Info | Directions and Parking
- The Alliance Theater: Show Season Info | College students using promo code COLLEGE15 can purchase up to two tickets for $15.
Art lovers enjoy Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) Atlanta campus museums. Tickets | Info
Museum of Design Atlanta (MODA) – Admission is discounted for college students. Info
Colony Square – “Midtown’s Living Room,” located across from the Woodruff Arts Center, is a vibrant hub for dining, events, and entertainment. Enjoy everything from quick bites to fine dining beside the Starling Midtown Hotel, explore the gourmet food hall or catch a movie at the dine-in cinema. The open-air green hosts regular live events, with ample paid parking walkable to Piedmont Park.
Info
The William Breman Jewish Heritage Museum explores universal these of responsible citizenship, human dignity, community building and has artifacts, documents photographs and oral histories.
The Breman Museum
Atlanta Botanical Gardens - Urban nature + stunning gardens
Tickets | Event Calendar
Walk the iconic Piedmont Park and enjoy the Midtown views and festivals Info | Calendar
Fox Theater - see a touring Broadway production, headlining music act, comedy performance. Moorish-inspired theater for headlining concerts and comedy, films, and holiday events.
Upcoming Shows/Tickets | About the Theater
Buckhead Atlanta
Atlanta History Center – Buckhead, Atlanta – Center includes the historic Swan House estate as well as home to the Battle of Atlanta Cyclorama painting. Adjacent Swan Coach House serves a genteel southern lunch and hosts and afternoon tea.
Tickets | Swan Coach House Restaurant
Elsewhere around Atlanta
Stone Mountain Hike + Saturday evening drone shows and laser show. Classic Laser Show shown Saturday evenings in August through Labor Day)
Tickets | Info
Visit Helen, GA on a day trip (German mountain town) – Especially Festive (and more crowded) in the fall for Octoberfest and for December Holiday Décor.
Info | Events
Attend a National League East - baseball game at Truist Park – Season from late March/April until September/October
Official Atlanta Braves Website | Schedule | Tickets
The Battery Atlanta – Shopping, restaurant and entertainment district adjacent to Truist Park, home of the Atlanta Braves. Open year-round this area is fun even without Braves game tickets.
Events | The Battery Atlanta | Atlanta Braves
Porsche Experience Center Atlanta – Drive Experience, Demonstration Laps, Simulator Lab, Heritage Gallery Museum, and Dining.
Tours | Info
Delta Flight Museum
Tickets and Hours | Info
Catch an improv show at Dad’s Garage Theater
Shows | Tickets
Hike Doll’s Head an “Eerily Cool” trail in Dekalb County
Info
Visit the Trap Music Museum - A Hip Hop music museum and musical landmark in the southeast.
Info | Tickets
Southern Cuisine
Bantam and Biddy – A southern diner near Piedmont Park in Ansley Mall (outdoor shopping center) in Midtown.
Mary Mac's Tea Room – An Atlanta institution in a homey space on Ponce De Leon Ave. After WWI, enterprising women established eateries all over Atlanta, called them “tea rooms” because they were forbidden from opening restaurants. Founded by Mary MacKenzie in 1945.
Paschal’s Restaurant is a historic and southern and soul food dining experience in the Castleberry Hill neighborhood of downtown Atlanta.
Twisted Soul Cookhouse & Pours Located in West Midtown, the restaurant is led by James Beard–nominated chef Deborah Vantrece, one of the South’s most celebrated chefs, known for modern interpretations of Southern cuisine.
Fall Activities
Homecoming and Family Weekend October 23-26th- Register and plan now for accommodations. Registration is open to all alumni, parents/families, faculty, staff, and friends of Emory. Students can sign up now for Homecoming activities in The Hub.
Events | Emory University | Atlanta GA - Parents and Families
Emory Fall Sports include Women’s Volleyball. Men and Women’s Soccer. Basketball begins November. Emory Athletics
Emory University Theater
My Foot My Tutor – October 2-5 - Schwartz Center for Performing Arts -
Peerless – November 13 -23 – Mary Gray Munroe Theater
Experience NFL Football at Mercedes-Benz Stadium home of the Atlanta Falcons Schedule: 2025 Schedule
Tickets: Atlanta Falcons Ticket Info
Greek Food, Music, Pastries, Dancing and broken plates- Opa! October 2-5th on Clairmont Road North of Decatur.
The Atlanta Greek Festival
Winter Activities
Atlanta Lunar New Year Festivals – authentic cuisine, traditional folk songs, and exhibits and the beautifully performed Lion & Dragon Dance. Multiple Celebrations in Atlanta.
Decatur Lunar New Year – Year of the Fire Horse – Sunday March 1st, 2026
Additional Lunar New Year | Chinese New Year events announced Dec. 2025 around Buford Highway, Lawrenceville and Atlantic Station -Midtown neighborhoods Atlanta throughout February – March
Atlanta Hawks Basketball (NBA) at State Farm Arena – Season October to April – SE division of the Eastern Conference
Schedule | Tickets
Atlanta Jewish Film Festival – February 18-March 3 – Various Metro Atlanta Theaters
Schedule and Ticket information
Spring
Savannah, GA, Road Trip with your student or meet them there (four hour drive). Every year on March 17, Savannah hosts one of the nation’s most iconic St. Patrick’s Day celebrations. The parade dates back to 1824. Plan ahead!! be sure to book accommodation well in advance as the city fills up quickly for this lively event. St. Patrick's Day CELEBRATION | Savannah, GA
The Atlanta Dogwood Festival – April 10-12, 2026 - Piedmont Park, Midtown Atlanta. For more than 80 years this arts and craft festival with food and music has been a quintessential Atlanta in the Springtime Event.
Atlanta Film Festival 2025 takes place April 23 through May 3, 2025, at the Plaza Theatre & Tara Theatre.
Atlanta Jazz Festival is held annually at Piedmont Park on Memorial Day Weekend – May 25-27th.
End of Summer Activities Move in time (dates shown are 2025)
Piedmont Park Arts Festival – Piedmont Park, Midtown Atlanta
August 16-17, 2025 – Mid August
Named as one of the TOP 100 Arts Festival in the US the annual Piedmont Park Arts Festival is held in Atlanta’s largest park, Piedmont Park. 1215 Piedmont Avenue, Atlanta, GA 30309.
The Atlanta Food & Wine Festival – September 11-14th, age 21+ celebration. This ticketed event features creations from the more than 200 chefs, sommeliers, mixologists and food industry leaders gathering in Atlanta to highlight Atlanta’s finest flavors served in Tasting Tents.
Event Schedule and Tickets
Dragon Con – Annual Labor Day Sci Fi convention and parade with lots of storm troopers and Ghost Busters. This is one of the largest multi-genre and pop culture convention.
Free Parade – Route | Performances